While eating, Zhuo Xiangshuang deeply felt what it meant to be dog-fed. [slang for public display of affection making single people feel bitter]
All the shrimp in Wen Xian’s bowl were peeled by Shen Lingge himself. Sometimes when she spoke happily, Shen Lingge would also hold a juice and bring it to her lips.
And Wen Xian, as if natural, opened her mouth and bit the straw, took a sip, and then let go.
This whole set of movements between the two was perfectly coordinated, clearly showing both of them were already used to it.
Zhuo Xiangshuang felt like her heart had taken a bullet. Sitting at the dining table, Shen Lingge looked like a fake. What abstinent, what indifferent—she couldn’t see any of that. This man was way too clingy to Wen Xian.
She tried her best not to look at the small intimate actions between the two of them.
By the time the meal ended, Zhuo Xiangshuang felt like she was going to explode—not from food, but from eating dog food. When she left, she even received lipstick and a handbag paid for by Shen Lingge’s card.
No matter what Wen Xian and she bought, when Shen Lingge swiped the card, his eyes didn’t blink once.
Zhuo Xiangshuang carefully held the bag in her hands. Shen Lingge even instructed the driver to send her home. Sitting in the car, she waved her hand toward Wen Xian: “Xian Xian, when you come back in the future, if you have free time, look for me.”
Wen Xian smiled and nodded: “Got it, send me a message when you get home.”
After Zhuo Xiangshuang left, Wen Xian tilted her face up and asked Shen Lingge: “Didn’t I say I’d come back early tomorrow morning? Why did you rush over in the middle of the night, aren’t you tired?”
Shen Lingge pulled her slightly cool hand into his coat pocket, speaking in a low voice: “I missed you, just wanted to see you.”
Wen Xian’s cheeks turned slightly red. She quickly turned her head to secretly glance at him, then withdrew her gaze and muttered softly: “It’s just one night, are you a clingy ghost or something, Shen Lingge?”
Shen Lingge’s face did not change: “Mm, I am a clingy ghost.”
Wen Xian: “……”
Shen Lingge put all the shopping bags away properly, then helped Wen Xian into the car. After the car started, he calmly asked: “The person who pushed you just now, which department is she from? Normally you’re pretty good at bullying me, yet once outside you’re only getting bullied?”
Wen Xian glanced at him, unhappily retorting: “How would I know someone talking perfectly fine would suddenly push me? And I didn’t even say anything, I just asked her a question and she pushed me.”
Shen Lingge turned his head: “What did you say?”
Wen Xian’s face was full of innocence: “I just asked her what her name was. She talked for so long but I didn’t know her at all. Isn’t it very polite for me to ask her name?”
When Shen Lingge walked closer to Wen Xian earlier, he had only heard Lu Ke’s last sentence. He originally thought the two of them knew each other. He didn’t expect Wen Xian didn’t know her at all.
Shen Lingge: “……”
He rubbed his eyebrows. Looks like last time’s internal audit still didn’t clean everyone out.
He didn’t mention this again and instead changed the topic to the matter from the afternoon: “What did Xie Lin say to you? From now on, no matter where you see him, I don’t allow you to say a single word to him.”
This morning, Shen Lingge had received information about Xie Lin’s situation while attending university in Licheng. At that time, he had already gotten acquainted with the Chang family siblings. And he was also Chang Shuang’s admirer, already to a crazy degree.
But before anything came of Xie Lin and Chang Shuang, he had been hurriedly sent abroad by his parents. When he returned, time had already passed.
Xie Lin returned to the country three years ago. He had been living in his old family home in Yuecheng, so no one in Mingcheng knew he had returned. In these past few years, all the people who had caused the Xie family’s ruin had already been handled and resolved by Xie Lin.
Shen Lingge suspected that the Wen family’s matter from four years ago was also related to him. He did not want to see what happened last time happen again, and he could not accept Wen Xian having any more incidents.
Wen Xian pressed her lips together and responded: “He said he was my mother’s friend, said I look very much like my mother, that day when he saw me he just wanted to confirm my identity. Shen Lingge, that little horse…”
Shen Lingge patted her head: “The little horse is yours. You don’t need to overthink.”
Wen Xian thought of the afternoon’s matter and couldn’t help leaning over to hug Shen Lingge. Only when she touched his broad and gentle chest did she feel a little more at ease. She spoke in a small voice: “Shen Lingge, I’m a little scared.”
Shen Lingge slightly furrowed his brows. He kissed her forehead with heartache, speaking in a low voice: “Don’t be afraid. From now on, wherever you go, I’ll accompany you.”
Tomorrow, he would go talk with Shen Rongsheng about Xie Lin’s matter. He would no longer allow anyone to hurt Wen Xian.
…
After the two of them went home, Wen Xian was sent to take a bath by Shen Lingge, while he went alone to Wen Tianlin’s study.
Out of selfishness, there were also things he wanted to bring back to Mingcheng.
Wen Xian had never forbidden him from entering any place. To Wen Xian, this place was not only her own home, it was also his.
Ever since that night he told that mirror story and scared Wen Xian, he had quietly gone to Wen Tianlin’s study. As he expected, Wen Tianlin had a whole bookshelf specifically for storybooks.
He also discovered an old safe under that bookshelf. Perhaps because back then when checking assets, the safe had been forcibly pried open.
The things placed inside might have been rummaged through by others, but had all been carefully tidied up.
Actually, there was only one paper box inside. On top of the box, there was a sentence written with a fountain pen: The treasure heaven bestowed upon me.
Shen Lingge squatted down and took out this paper box. He sat on the sofa planning to look through it again. Inside this paper box was a photo album, drawings Wen Xian gave to her parents when she was little, postcards written for them during holidays, essays titled My Dad and Mom, and letters Wen Tianlin left for Wen Xian.
Shen Lingge didn’t look at the other contents. He only opened the photo album.
Inside this album were bits and pieces of Wen Xian’s life from childhood to adulthood, recording her growth all the way.
The first appearance of Wen Xian looked like a wrinkled little ball, with tiny fists against her mouth sleeping soundly, her eyelashes sticking together wetly. The appearance wasn’t really good-looking, but Shen Lingge still felt it was unbearably cute.
Later on, she grew a little bigger, learned to crawl, her big watery eyes looking at the camera, looking like a whole white little bundle.
She gradually learned to walk, her brows and eyes gradually taking shape. She carried a small schoolbag to go to kindergarten. She was carried on Wen Tianlin’s shoulders. In almost every photo, she was smiling.
During those times, she was very happy.
But these photos only went up until Wen Xian was in high school. Because after that, there was no one left to take pictures for her.
The ordinary school uniform on her looked very pretty. At that time, she still had many friends around her. But ever since Shen Lingge knew her, he hadn’t seen her have many friends around.
She was always alone.
Shen Lingge’s eye sockets were slightly sore. His fingertips lightly stroked over the photo of her innocent and pure smile. He hoped that in the future, by his side, she could also smile like this, forever and ever.
“Shen Lingge!”
Suddenly from the doorway came her crisp call.
Shen Lingge lifted his eyes to look. The little girl was poking her head in, her bright eyes wide as she looked at him: “Shen Lingge, I finished showering. It’s your turn now. After you wash, we’ll sleep. Tomorrow we go home.”
Shen Lingge stared at her for a long time before answering in a hoarse voice: “Okay, tomorrow we go home.”
…
When Shen Lingge finished showering and came out, Wen Xian was holding her phone playing a game. Hearing the sound, she very consciously moved aside a bit, giving up half of the spot she had occupied.
After Shen Lingge got on the bed, he didn’t do anything else, just watched Wen Xian with her little face tensed up playing her game.
Actually, what Chi Yanyu said wasn’t accurate—Shen Lingge wasn’t all-powerful. In the area of gaming, he had never gotten involved before. He stared at the little figure on Wen Xian’s screen running around in the grass, in the entire match it was Wen Xian running the most.
Earlier Wen Xian had been killed once in the grass. This time when she entered the grass, she cautiously cast a skill in that direction, her careful appearance still especially cute.
Seeing this, Shen Lingge couldn’t help letting out a light laugh: “Xian Xian, he’s not there. He’s at the top-left of the map.”
Wen Xian blinked and looked at him: “How do you know?”
Shen Lingge maintained a calm expression: “Calculated it.”
So Wen Xian changed direction under her feet, and the little fan-holding character on the screen ran straight to the upper jungle area. Sure enough, at the red buff spot she saw the enemy jungler. She didn’t hesitate one bit and immediately cast skills toward him.
A few seconds later, she happily brought the fresh red buff back to base.
Wen Xian turned her head and kissed Shen Lingge’s chin: “Husband, you’re amazing!”
Shen Lingge: “……”
Last time he played racing games like his life depended on it before getting her to call him husband once, and today just by casually saying one sentence she called him again, not to mention his mind wasn’t even on that.
So from then on Shen Lingge stared intently at the battle situation on Wen Xian’s screen. Wen Xian followed the route Shen Lingge told her, killing gods if she encountered gods, killing Buddhas if she encountered Buddhas. In the last team fight she even got a pentakill.
“Ah——”
Wen Xian threw her phone aside and spread her arms, pouncing onto Shen Lingge, moved by her own gameplay: “Wuwu, Gege! This is my first pentakill this year ah ah ah ah, I love you!”
While speaking she cupped his face and kissed him again.
Shen Lingge looked at her amused: “That happy?”
Wen Xian’s eyes shone bright: “Mm, I’m so happy. Eating with Xiangshuang was happy, seeing you was happy, playing games was happy, being able to sleep together with you is also happy.”
Shen Lingge’s lips lightly curved: “Then shall we sleep now?”
Wen Xian immediately pushed him away: “No! I want to play games! You play with me, you watch me play!”
Looking at her impatient expression, Shen Lingge couldn’t help raising his brows: “Who was it last time who said old people don’t understand?”
Wen Xian shook her head like a rattle-drum: “Not me! It was Duoduo!”
Shen Lingge: “…Play until ten-thirty then sleep.”
Wen Xian: “Okay!”
But in the end, the two of them didn’t sleep even after playing until ten-thirty. Halfway through guiding, Shen Lingge simply logged into the game, asked Chi Yanyu for an account to duo queue with Wen Xian. Chi Yanyu very generously said he could just give him the account.
So Wen Xian and Shen Lingge even copied those little couples and changed couple names.
Wen Xian’s game ID was Big Demon King Xian Xian, so Shen Lingge properly changed his name—
The Big Demon King’s Tail.
The two of them surfed together all the way until two-thirty in the morning.
The next day when they got up, both had dark circles under their eyes, looking worn out. When they went downstairs, Duoduo and the housekeeper both jumped in fright. Duoduo lowered her voice and asked Wen Xian: “Miss, did you and Young Master have a fight last night?”
Wen Xian waved her hand weakly and said: “No, I was studying together with Shen Lingge.”
Duoduo: “…Studying what?”
Wen Xian’s expression became serious: “Studying how to gallop through the canyon and obtain the greatest happiness!”
[canyon: refers to Honor of Kings or similar MOBA game maps.]
Shen Lingge: “Mm.”
Duoduo: “…….”
Both of them had gone crazy.